


Dang Red just puts up with this stuff huh?

by ReptileRuler



Series: PRaZ FebuWhump [12]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Crushed Bones, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Irken elite training, Pre-Canon, Serious Injuries, rated m because the injuries make me go :grimace:, zim being dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:02:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29377506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReptileRuler/pseuds/ReptileRuler
Summary: Febuwhump 2021 DAY 12: “who are you?”
Relationships: Almighty Tallest Red & Zim, Almighty Tallest Red/Zim
Series: PRaZ FebuWhump [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2137614
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22
Collections: febuwhump 2021





	Dang Red just puts up with this stuff huh?

**Author's Note:**

> I went into this head-empty. The prompt didn't inspire me and I used it in the most stupid-ass way and proceeded to write a different kind of whump. I think I still deserve points for putting Zim through a lot of pain, but the nonexistent febuwhump judges are right to remove points for my awful use of the prompt

“Eh? Who are you?”

“I’m Red.”

“Who are you?!”

“... Red. Zim, we’re in the same class-”

“WHO ARE YOU?!”

Red let out a long-suffering sigh. 

“Zim”, he said, in his commanding voice, “my name is Red. We’re classmates. We’re on this assignment together. Ring a bell?”

“... Oh, yeah”, Zim said. Great. If Zim wasn’t always this dumb, Red would probably have worried more about brain injuries. As it were, he focused on the log currently crushing the shorter’s legs.

“Can you move?” he asked.

“Eh?”

Zim wiggled for a second, placing his palms against the log and pushing, crying out when he accomplished nothing but further hurting himself.

“I cannot”, he concluded. 

Red sighed again. He unleashed his PAK legs and considered how to lift the giant tree trunk off of Zim. It wouldn’t be easy, even with the artificial strength of his PAK. The trunk was almost as thick as he was tall, and stretched several length-things in both directions. 

“This is your own fault, you know”, he mumbled.

“No it’s not!”

“Yes. It is. You’re always being stupid on missions! I don’t know what compels you to always do the most idiotic stuff the second you’re on a mission.”

“I only make the most ingenious choices ever! This tree was simply in the way of my brilliance.”

Red huffed and produced a laser at the point of one PAK leg. He’d have to cut the trunk first, and then roll it off Zim. If he didn’t just leave him to die. A tempting idea, but that would get him into a little bit of trouble and he didn’t feel like dealing with it. 

It certainly had nothing to do with actually wanting to keep Zim alive. 

“Huh? What are you doing?” Zim asked, twisting to be able to look at Red as he cut through the tree.

“What does it look like, genius? I’m getting you out of there.”

“Oh.”

It seemed like Zim didn't have anything else to say. Suited him fine, since that meant he could focus on handling his laser. It was slow work, no thanks to the flora on this planet being, like, really dense and weirdly resistant to lasers. He finally got all the way through and moved to the other side.

“Of course you would want to help someone as great as me”, Zim said.

“Uh-huh. We’re teammates, Zim. I have to”, he said. 

“It is simply natural. Everyone loves Zim. Zim is amazing,”

“... Sure.” Red didn’t feel like arguing, but he knew. If he left Zim here, the little guy wouldn’t be missed. 

He cut through the trunk and placed his palms firmly against the slice still covering Zim’s legs.

“Brace yourself.”

“Brace myself for whaaAAAAAAAARGH! OW OW OW-”

It still took all his strength to roll it off. In a way, he was grateful for Zim’s screaming, as it drowned out whatever sick noises came from his legs being crushed some more by the movement.

Red watched the piece of tree trunk roll to a stop a couple of length-things away. Mostly because if he looked away, he’d have to focus on Zim’s injuries. 

Zim lay sobbing on the ground, squinting up at the leaves above them. When Red finally gathered enough mental strength to look down, he realized that they still wouldn’t be moving for a while.

“That’s… bad enough that I’m not even going to carry you”, he concluded. Zim turned his head slightly, his face wet and gross with tears and his expression pathetic.

“Red”, he whimpered, “it hurts s-so bad.”

“I know”, he sighed and sat down, avoiding to look at the mess, “your PAK just needs to heal you for a bit, then we’ll get going, okay.”

Zim just whimpered and whined. Feeling a sting of empathy, Red reached out and massaged one of his antennae gently. Grateful that no one else was around to see.

They were going to be here for a while. He could do what he could to ease Zim’s suffering during that time. 

**Author's Note:**

> *Back at the camp, Red is sitting with his head in his hands while Purple is just vibing beside him*  
> Red: I can’t believe I didn’t find a way to lift the thing instead.  
> Purple: Hey, you saved him, didn’t you?  
> Red: I made his injuries worse!  
> Purple: Worse… or better? ‘,:)


End file.
